Bag tempered chocolate

I wrote a post a year ago on my blog about how to make low-carb chocolate, http://easylocarb.com/make-lo-carb-chocolate/   This involved complex temperature wrangling and marble tempering surfaces … I found an easier way.

It involves using a Sous-vide device and melting the chocolate at 45C, then bringing the temperature down to 27C to set type IV and V crystals, then taking it back up to 32C where the type IV crystals melt and you are left with perfectly tempered type V crystals, in a bag ready to pipe.

Look at the difference … the chocolate to the left is tempered, it has a perfect snap, melts in the mouth and not in your the hand.  The chocolate on the right was just melted and formed … it has the white bloom common with non-tempered chocolate, will melt at a lower temperature (in your hand), and is soft to the tooth.  Still delicious, tho.

?

Print Recipe
Bag tempered chocolate
Course Dessert
Servings
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Fill a ziploc bag with 150g of cacao butter. I find it's easiest to stuff it into a large cup and tare off the weight of the cup.
  2. Add cacao powder.
  3. Add sweetener and seal the bag removing as much air as possible, either using a vacuum sealer or the archimedean method.
  4. Set the Sous-vide to 45C to melt the mixture. Massaging regularly until the mixture is perfectly blended.
  5. Take the bag out and put it on a tea towel, while you empty out the water and replace it with cold tap water. Set the sous-vide to 27C and as soon as it hits temp, return the bag to the water.
  6. Massage the bag for about 5 mins for the type IV and V crystals to propagate through the mix, then set the sous-vide to 32C.
  7. The Chocolate is now tempered yet melted, and can remain like this as long as you keep it at this temp. When ready to use just snip the corner of the bag to pipe the melted chocolate.
  8. Pipe the chocolate into silicone moulds, and allow to set in a cool place.

Notable Replies

  1. It doesn’t get much better than this. This tips the scale on my need for a Sous-vide device!

  2. I am so going to try this at the end of the month when I finish ZC Jan.

  3. I just started doing this with the Sous-vide method and I’m having good results so far…thanks for sharing @richard

    I’ve got a few questions…

    1. Is there a reason to not go above 45C when melting the ingredients using a sous-vide machine? Seems like a higher temperature would help melt things faster?

    2. I’ve been using " Keto Genie Allulose PLUS Monk Fruit & Stevia" for the sweetener, and it doesn’t seem to completely dissolve…wondering if the higher temp would help with this as well, or if I should just leave it longer during the first stage?

    3. Besides extracts like vanilla, almond, peppermint…and spices like cinnamon, etc…what sorts of things are “safe” to add to the bag? I was wondering if dissolving the sweetener in a little rum or other alcohol would cause issues with the chocolate seizing or setting?

    Just curious if you have any favorite additions to the standard recipe?

Continue the discussion at www.ketogenicforums.com

Participants